The Associated Press

NEW YORK
— UCLA pitcher Gerrit Cole and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the deadline to sign when the top selection in the June amateur draft agreed late Monday night to a minor league contract with an $8 million signing bonus.

Cole had been among 23 first-round picks facing a midnight deadline to reach agreements with major league teams.

“It’s essentially the largest signing bonus ever given an amateur player,” Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said. “Sometimes, it’s more advantageous for a player to take a minor league contract with a bonus that can be spread over nine months than a major league contract that would be spread out over four years.”

Scott Boras, Cole’s agent, also negotiated a $7.5 million signing bonus for high school outfielder Bubba Starling with the Kansas City Royals, and a $7.4 million, four-year major league contract for Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon with the Washington Nationals. Starling was the fifth overall pick and Rendon sixth.

Most top picks agreed to deals. Virginia left-hander Danny Hultzen agreed to an $8.5 million, five-year contract with Seattle that included a $6.35 million signing bonus. Dylan Bundy, a high school right-hander selected fourth by Baltimore, got a $6.25 million, four-year contract.

Boras’ son, California high school third baseman Trent Boras, failed to reach an agreement with the Milwaukee Brewers. Trent Boras was a 30th-round pick.

Bundy, a right-hander who was the fourth overall selection out of Owasso High School in Oklahoma, was considered the top high school prospect in the draft after recording 111 strikeouts in 49 innings as a senior. The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder went 8-0 with one no-hitter and six one-hitters.

The Orioles also announced they have signed second-round pick Jason Esposito and sixth-round pick Nick Delmonico.

Lindor, who had committed to play at Florida State, was the eighth overall pick in this year’s draft. The 17-year-old from Clermont, Fla., batted .528 (28 of 53) with six homers, 13 RBIs and 20 steals in 21 attempts. The switch-hitter moved to the U.S. from Puerto Rico when he was 12.

The Aug. 15 deadline applies to players taken in the draft who have remaining college eligibility. In many cases, teams and agents didn’t begin negotiations until shortly before the deadline. The Indians also signed their second-round pick, right-hander Dillon Howard.

The 19-year-old received a $1.85 million signing bonus from Cleveland, which selected him with the No. 67 overall pick. Howard went 9-1 with a 0.31 ERA in 12 starts for Searcy (Ark.) High School. The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder will help offset the loss of top prospects Drew Pomeranz and Alex White, who went to Colorado in the trade for Ubaldo Jimenez.

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DETROIT
— Jim Thome’s back was aching, his toe was throbbing and his quad was cramping, turning his pursuit of 600 home runs into a painful endeavor that made him wonder if he would even reach the milestone before season’s end.

On Monday night, Thome finally harnessed the power again in that pure left-handed swing of his, sending two home runs sailing over the fence at spacious Comerica Park. When No. 600 disappeared over left fielder Delmon Young’s head in the seventh inning, Thome raised his right fist while rounding first base.

His quiet chase, which seemed to vanish from baseball’s consciousness as injuries slowed him down, was finally complete.

“You dream about it but when it finally happens it’s kind of surreal,” Thome said. “It’s a neat thing, it really is.”

The 40-year-old Thome became the eighth player to reach 600, hitting a two-run homer in the sixth inning for No. 599, then a three-run shot in the seventh. The milestone came on a 2-1 pitch from Daniel Schlereth.

Both homers were hit to the opposite field. When No. 600 went over the fence, the crowd in Detroit came to its feet to applaud Thome. Only Babe Ruth needed fewer at-bats to reach 600, doing so in 6,921. Thome’s milestone came in No. 8,167.

Thome’s 65 home runs against Detroit are his most against any team.

The Tigers posted a congratulatory message on the scoreboard after Thome’s homer, and the Twins came out to greet him at home plate.

Fighting injuries during a frustrating season in Minnesota, Thome hasn’t received nearly the amount of national publicity that his predecessors who reached the milestone did. Even Derek Jeter’s accomplishment of 3,000 hits earlier this season dwarfed the attention Thome has been getting for a chase that’s far more rare.

Only seven hitters have hit more home runs than the burley Thome: Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa. Rodriguez joined the 600-homer club last August.

“Welcome to the club,” Mays said in a video shown on the Twins’ television broadcast.

Griffey, who briefly played with Thome on the Chicago White Sox in 2008, later released a statement congratulating him.

“It is an honor and a privilege to welcome another member to the 600-home run club, especially someone like Jim Thome, who is not just a great baseball player, but a great person as well,” Griffey said. “While it was only for a short period of time, I was glad to have the honor of being his teammate. I offer Jim my heartfelt congratulations.”

Unlike Bonds and Rodriguez, Thome has largely eluded suspicion of using performance-enhancing drugs. His country-strong physique was never chiseled like some of the hulking sluggers who proliferated his generation.

From the moment he belted his first homer — off Steve Farr on Oct. 4, 1991 — to the big one on Monday night, Thome has always seemed like a natural.

It was perhaps fitting that Thome reached No. 600 in a matchup of AL Central rivals. He hit 334 home runs with Cleveland and 134 with the White Sox.

As he rounded the bases, his teammates poured onto the field and his family, including his father, wife and children, met him at home plate.

“I thought of my mother,” Thome said. “She must’ve been looking down upon us, and being there with us. I know she’s here in heart and spirit.”

Thome is the oldest person to hit his 600th homer. Sosa previously held that mark at 38 years, 220 days. He reached the milestone in 2007.

Since signing with the Twins before last season, Thome has been a popular figure at Target Field — both in the clubhouse and for the paying customers in the seats. He hit 25 home runs last season in just 276 at-bats, many of them moon shots that sailed high into the Minneapolis air and caused players, coaches, fans and everyone else to shake their head in amusement and astonishment.

With a down-home demeanor and an uncanny ability for hitting home runs in a ballpark that has proven too big for most hitters, it hasn’t taken long for Thome to reach heightened status in the Twin Cities. He dressed up as Paul Bunyan and led Babe the Blue Ox by a leash for a television commercial, and the lumberjack shirt with his No. 25 on the back is a hot item at the park.

This season has been more of a struggle. He’s been bothered by injuries to his toe, oblique and quadriceps. His milestone homer was only his 11th of the year in his 185th at-bat, and he admitted on Monday night that he was wondering if it was ever going to happen.

“To get it over with, what a sigh of relief,” he said. “You work so hard — obviously fought through some injuries all year long.”

But when healthy, he’s still as capable as anyone of putting a powerful swing on the ball.

After a lineout and a single in his first two at-bats, Thome lifted a drive to left-center off Rick Porcello in the sixth, breaking a 3-all tie. That homer went an estimated 412 feet. His 600th was shorter. For a moment, it appeared Young might have a chance to make a play on the ball, but Young — who was traded from the Twins to the Tigers earlier in the day — could only watch as his former teammate’s hit disappeared over his head.

Before Monday’s game, Thome hadn’t homered since Aug. 4. Thome has hit at least 20 homers in 17 of his last 18 seasons — the only exception was 2005 when he hit seven in only 59 games for the Philadelphia Phillies.

He revived his career with the White Sox after that, homering 42 times in 2006.

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NEW YORK
— A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that UCLA pitcher Gerrit Cole and the Pittsburgh Pirates agreed late Monday night to a minor league contract with an $8 million signing bonus.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not yet been announced.

Cole had been among 23 first-round draft picks facing a midnight deadline to reach agreements with major league teams.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

NEW YORK (AP) — UCLA pitcher Gerrit Cole was among 23 first-round draft picks facing a Monday midnight deadline to reach agreements with major league teams.

Cole was selected by Pittsburgh and is represented by agent Scott Boras, who was negotiating for the top pick for the third straight year after reaching agreements with Washington for pitcher Stephen Strasburg ($15.1 million over four years) and outfielder Bryce Harper ($9.9 million over five years).

Boras also was trying to reach deals for the fifth and sixth picks. High school outfielder Bubba Starling was taken by Kansas City with the No. 5 selection and Rice third baseman Anthony Renden went next to Washington.

Just 10 of the 33 players taken on the first round June 6 had announced agreements with one hour remaining before the deadline, including just one of the first nine picks: No. 3 Trevor Bauer, a teammate of Cole’s on the UCLA pitching staff, agreed July 25 to a $4.45 million, four-year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Aug. 15 deadline, in its fifth year, applies to players taken in the draft who have remaining college eligibility. Agents have said that in many cases teams won’t start negotiations until shortly before the deadline.

If a team fails to sign a first-round pick, it gets an extra selection after the same slot in next year’s draft.

Only one first-round pick reached an agreement last weekend: The Los Angeles Dodgers and Stanford left-hander Chris Reed agreed at $1,589,000. Reed, the 16th pick, also is represented by Boras.

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NEW YORK
— UCLA pitcher Gerrit Cole was among 23 first-round draft picks facing a Monday midnight deadline to reach agreements with major league teams.

Cole was selected by Pittsburgh and is represented by agent Scott Boras, who was negotiating for the top pick for the third straight year after reaching agreements with Washington for pitcher Stephen Strasburg ($15.1 million over four years) and outfielder Bryce Harper ($9.9 million over five years).

Boras also was trying to reach deals for the fifth and sixth picks. High school outfielder Bubba Starling was taken by Kansas City with the No. 5 selection and Rice third baseman Anthony Renden went next to Washington.

Just 10 of the 33 players taken on the first round June 6 had announced agreements with one hour remaining before the deadline, including just one of the first nine picks: No. 3 Trevor Bauer, a teammate of Cole’s on the UCLA pitching staff, agreed July 25 to a $4.45 million, four-year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Aug. 15 deadline, in its fifth year, applies to players taken in the draft who have remaining college eligibility. Agents have said that in many cases teams won’t start negotiations until shortly before the deadline.

If a team fails to sign a first-round pick, it gets an extra selection after the same slot in next year’s draft.

Only one first-round pick reached an agreement last weekend: The Los Angeles Dodgers and Stanford left-hander Chris Reed agreed at $1,589,000. Reed, the 16th pick, also is represented by Boras.

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DETROIT
— Minnesota slugger Jim Thome become the eighth player to hit 600 home runs, connecting twice against the Detroit Tigers on Monday night.

The 40-year-old Thome hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning for No. 599, then added a three-run shot in the seventh. The milestone came on a 2-1 pitch from Daniel Schlereth.

Both homers were hit to the opposite field. When No. 600 cleared the fence in left, Thome raised his right fist as he went around first base, and the crowd in Detroit came to its feet to applaud him.

Thome became the second-fastest hitter to reach the milestone, hitting his 600th homer in at-bat No. 8,137. Babe Ruth needed only 6,921 at-bats.

His 65 home runs against Detroit are his most against any team.

The Tigers posted a congratulatory message on the scoreboard after Thome’s homer, and the Twins came out to greet him at home plate.

Fighting injuries during a frustrating season in Minnesota, Thome hasn’t received nearly the amount of national publicity that his predecessors who reached the milestone did. Even Derek Jeter’s accomplishment of 3,000 hits earlier this season dwarfed the attention Thome has been getting for a chase that’s far more rare.

Only seven hitters have hit more home runs than the bulky Thome: Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa. Rodriguez joined the 600-homer club last August.

It was perhaps fitting that Thome reached No. 600 in a matchup of AL Central rivals. He hit 334 home runs with Cleveland and 134 with the Chicago White Sox.

Thome is the oldest person to hit his 600th homer. Sosa previously held that mark at 38 years, 220 days. He reached the milestone in 2007.

Since signing with the Twins before last season, Thome has been a popular figure at Target Field — both in the clubhouse and for the paying customers in the seats. He hit 25 home runs last season in just 276 at-bats, many of them moon shots that sailed high into the Minneapolis air and caused players, coaches, fans and everyone else to shake their head in amusement and astonishment.

This season has been more of a struggle. He’s been bothered by injuries to his toe, oblique and quadriceps. His milestone homer was only his 11th of the year in his 185th at-bat. But when healthy, he’s still as capable as anyone of putting a powerful swing on the ball.

After a lineout and a single in his first two at-bats, Thome lifted a drive to left-center off Rick Porcello in the sixth, breaking a 3-all tie. That homer went an estimated 412 feet. His 600th was shorter. For a moment, it appeared Detroit left fielder Delmon Young might have a chance to make a play on the ball, but Young — who was traded from the Twins to the Tigers earlier in the day — could only watch as his former teammate’s hit sailed into the Detroit bullpen.

Before Monday’s game, Thome hadn’t homered since Aug. 4. Thome has hit at least 20 homers in 17 of his last 18 seasons — the only exception was 2005 when he hit seven in only 59 games for the Philadelphia Phillies.

He revived his career with the White Sox after that, homering 42 times in 2006.

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DETROIT
— Minnesota slugger Jim Thome become the eighth player to hit 600 home runs, connecting twice against the Detroit Tigers on Monday night.

The 40-year-old Thome hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning for No. 599, then added a three-run shot in the seventh. The milestone came on a 2-1 pitch from Daniel Schlereth.

Both homers were hit to the opposite field. When No. 600 cleared the fence in left, Thome raised his right fist as he went around first base, and the crowd in Detroit came to its feet to applaud him.

Thome became the second-fastest hitter to reach the milestone, hitting his 600th homer in at-bat No. 8,137. Babe Ruth needed only 6,921 at-bats.

His 65 home runs against Detroit are his most against any team.

The Tigers posted a congratulatory message on the scoreboard after Thome’s homer, and the Twins came out to greet him at home plate.

Fighting injuries during a frustrating season in Minnesota, Thome hasn’t received nearly the amount of national publicity that his predecessors who reached the milestone did. Even Derek Jeter’s accomplishment of 3,000 hits earlier this season dwarfed the attention Thome has been getting for a chase that’s far more rare.

Only seven hitters have hit more home runs than the bulky Thome: Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa. Rodriguez joined the 600-homer club last August.

It was perhaps fitting that Thome reached No. 600 in a matchup of AL Central rivals. He hit 334 home runs with Cleveland and 134 with the Chicago White Sox.

Thome is the oldest person to hit his 600th homer. Sosa previously held that mark at 38 years, 220 days. He reached the milestone in 2007.

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CHICAGO
— Embattled Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano says he’d like to pitch again for Chicago and was simply frustrated when he told club personnel he wanted to retire after his most recent start.

In his first public comments since the team banished him following another meltdown, Zambrano told Comcast SportsNet Chicago in a phone interview Monday that he wants to remain a Cub.

“Of course, man” Zambrano said. “Hey, the Cubs have been to me like family. The organization is my family. I’ve seen people go and people come and I’m still there. … I want to keep pitching for the Cubs. It was a moment of frustration Friday night, and I pitched so bad I wanted to retire, you know, I don’t want to be making $18 million and pitch like crap.”

Zambrano cleaned out his locker and talked about retiring after giving up five homers and being ejected from Friday night’s 10-4 loss to Atlanta following two inside pitches to Chipper Jones. He says he intended to be at the ballpark the next day, but his agent Barry Praver told him not to “because we were in the middle of discussions with the union and the Cubs.”

The Cubs placed Zambrano on the disqualified list Saturday and said the right-hander would receive no pay and have no part in team activities for 30 days after the latest in a long line of incidents.

That includes a fight with former catcher Michael Barrett and a dugout confrontation with then-teammate Derrek Lee last season that led to him being placed on the restricted list for six weeks and sent to anger management.

This season, he called the Cubs “embarrassing” and a “Triple-A team” while calling out closer Carlos Marmol for giving up a tying hit to Ryan Theriot on a slider after a loss to St. Louis in June. But it’s not like Zambrano has been doing his part at 9-7 with a 4.82 ERA. The Cubs certainly expected more when he signed a deal adding $91.5 million over five seasons through 2012, including a $17.85 million salary this season and $18 million in 2012.

For that matter, so did Zambrano.

“I feel bad with me, with the performance, with what I am doing or I was doing in the season it’s frustrating,” he said. “It’s frustrating every time I go to the mound and I give up eight runs. It’s not me, and I want to do my best.”

That’s why, he said, he mentioned retirement. He said it was out of frustration and he didn’t expect it to leave the clubhouse.

Zambrano said he has a good relationship with manager Mike Quade even though “some of the decisions that he made I didn’t like” and called general manager Jim Hendry “a great person.” Even so, he didn’t understand why he was being punished. He said he deserved it following the blowup with Lee, but this time?

“This one I really don’t understand,” Zambrano said.

Hendry and Quade weren’t the only fed-up Cubs. Several players, including Alfonso Soriano, made it clear they were, too.

Zambrano said he has heard from Soriano, Marlon Byrd and Carlos Pena since the incident and that he understood their frustration with him. He also insisted he wasn’t trying to hit Jones.

“I have to pitch inside, and the pitch was a cutter,” he said. “If I want to hit someone, I hit him. I think I have good target when I want to hit someone.”

As for his future, Zambrano isn’t sure what will happen. He did make it clear he hopes to stay put, though.

“If the Cubs welcome me, I’ll be with the team again,” he said. “If they decide to do something else, I’ll have to play for somebody else. In the bottom of my heart, I will be a Cubbie forever.”